This is the treatment I built from the two things I do most: a full Abhyanga and a sound bath, one after the other, on the same table. You are massaged with warm oil for the first part, and then I play crystal bowls and voice around you while you rest. People book it when they need more than a massage.
What Sound Harmony Bliss is
The first seventy minutes are a complete Abhyanga: warm herbal oil, long strokes, head to toe. Then I cover you, dim the room and play. Crystal singing bowls, Tibetan bowls and my voice, close to the body and moving around it. The massage has already settled the body, so the sound goes in deeper than it does at a group sound bath. Most people fall somewhere between sleeping and waking.
Where it comes from
Abhyanga comes from Ayurveda. Sound as a way of settling the nervous system has roots in many traditions; the bowls I play come from Himalayan and modern crystal-bowl practice, and I trained as an accredited sound therapist in 2022. Putting the two together is my own practice, developed in Amsterdam since 2019. It is not a classical Ayurvedic treatment, and I prefer to be clear about that. Abhyanga is described in the Charaka Samhita as part of daily care [1].
What it is for
What people come to me for:
- Burnout and exhaustion
- Insomnia and broken sleep
- Grief, big transitions, periods of overwhelm
- Anyone who loves sound baths and wants one for themselves alone
- A gift for someone who never stops
A pilot study of Abhyanga found lower subjective stress after a single treatment [2]. An observational study of singing bowl meditation reported less tension, anger and fatigue and a better mood afterwards, most strongly in people new to it [3]. Neither study tested the two together; the combination is my own. For Ayurveda as a whole, the US National Institutes of Health summary is a fair starting point [4].
How often to come
This depends on why you come. These are the rhythms I suggest most often; we settle on yours at the intake.
| If you come for | I suggest |
|---|
| Burnout or a hard period | Every two to three weeks for two months |
| Sleep | Once a fortnight for six weeks, then as needed |
| As a reset | Once a month, or once a season |
What to combine it with
Treatments that work well alongside it:
- Ceremonial cacao before we start, if you want to mark the occasion (€25)
- A regular Abhyanga course in between, with sound every third visit
- Group sound baths in the weeks between treatments
And at home, in the days around the treatment:
- Nothing heavy before; a light warm meal two hours ahead
- Warm water or herbal tea afterwards, no coffee for the rest of the day
- Keep the evening free. This one stays with you for hours
Practical
110 minutes, €180. Amsterdam city centre, by appointment.
- Eat lightly, and nothing heavy in the ninety minutes before.
- Tell me beforehand about pain, injuries, pregnancy or conditions you are being treated for.
- Keep the rest of the day easy if you can. The body is warm and open, so a hat helps on cold days.
When not to book
Better to wait, or to choose another treatment, with:
- A cold or fever
- Acute inflammation
- Active skin problems
- The first trimester of pregnancy
- Your period
The same as for Abhyanga. Let me know beforehand if you have a pacemaker, epilepsy or are very sensitive to sound.
Afterwards
Rinse the oil off at home with warm water only. Drink warm water and keep the rest of the day slow.
Booking
Before a first treatment I suggest an Ayurvedic consultation of forty minutes for €90, so I know which oil and which treatment fit you. If you already know what you want, write to me or book directly.
Before a first visit, read the preparation notes and contraindications and the cancellation and rescheduling policy.
References
Numbers in square brackets in the text point to the entries below. Journal references are given in the National Library of Medicine style; each was checked against the Crossref and PubMed registries.
- Sharma PV, translator. Caraka Samhita: text with English translation. Vol. 1. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Orientalia; 1981. Sutrasthana, chapter 5 (Matrashitiya): the daily routine, including abhyanga.
- Basler AJ. Pilot study investigating the effects of Ayurvedic Abhyanga massage on subjective stress experience. J Altern Complement Med. 2011;17(5):435-40. doi: 10.1089/acm.2010.0281. [DOI] [PubMed]
- Goldsby TL, Goldsby ME, McWalters M, Mills PJ. Effects of singing bowl sound meditation on mood, tension, and well-being: an observational study. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017;22(3):401-6. doi: 10.1177/2156587216668109. [DOI] [PubMed] [PMC free article]
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Ayurvedic medicine: in depth. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health. [NCCIH]
The frequencies and combinations above are my general advice from practice, not medical treatment. If you are being treated for a condition, tell your doctor and tell me.